Re: Crazy cat lady

: : : I am looking for the origin of the phrase 'crazy cat lady'. I have searched the archives, Google, Wikipedia and what I am finding is not very helpful

: : Well, I don't know who said it first. But sometimes lonely women of a certain age collect cats.

: I was listening to a programme that mentioned it as a recognised psychological syndrome - Diogenes syndrome.

: it is characterised by self-neglect and close association with companion animals. syllogomania is an associated trait - the hoarding of things - often such as rubbish/newspapers.

: I had to assist with sorting out one such old woman - place was really dangerous as a fire risk and to health from rotten things. when she was evicted, she tried to take a pan of chicken - it was green...and that wasn't thai curry.
: the guy clearing it even found she'd been storing her urine in large bottles.

: it may seem vaguely amusing and quaint, but some of these people are VERY disturbed.

: L

American television has a channel called Animal Planet, which includes programs devoted to the efforts of animal control agencies to respond to cases of animal abuse and animals requiring rescue. A large part of their job is devoted to rescuing animals from "hoarders," not only "crazy cat ladies" (in abundance) but soft-hearted and soft-headed men as well, trying to "save" cats or other animals, but clueless as how to do it and without enough money to do it well in any case.
SS